Staging the Story: New Plays for Worship and Church Gatherings

David E. Kemp, former drama professor at Queen’s University, is the
author of The Pleasures and Treasures of the United Kingdom.

Intended for the amateur church thespian, this collection of
dramatizations offers innovative approaches to the presentation of
scripture, sermon, or discussion. The playlets are organized around
seasonal themes. Some attempt to tell biblical stories with humor and
dramatic insight, while others deal with moral issues and themes.
Unfortunately, only a very few pieces rise above the commonplace, and
some verge on the embarrassing. The stories that are couched in the
language of the King James version are vastly more dramatic, more
moving, and more powerful than the updated playlets that make up this
book. A successful modernization requires far more than a simple change
of character, time, and locale. It’s a pity that the Anglican and
United Churches could not instead have cooperated in commissioning some
of Canada’s fine professional playwrights to compose short pieces on
liturgical or spiritual subjects.